Rating: 
Summary: Best fantasy film ever made
Review: So good it was even recognized by Hollywood. It won two Academy Awards (for color cinematography and costumes, I believe). Notable for many reasons. As mentioned by another reviewer, for the highly notable performance by Adelaide Hall as well as that of another underutilized black performer, the great Rex Ingram (not the silent film director). Ingram gives us the best genie ever, one whose cries of "Free, free!" when he is finally released from bondage carry an especial poignance consider the social situation in the U.S. the time the film was made. We also get the best evil sorcerer ever in Conrad Veidt's Jafar, who can have anything he wants except the love of the beautiful princess...whose father the Sultan is charmingly portrayed by Miles Malleson, who also wrote the erudite and delightful script. Throw in the best flying horse this side of CG, a spectacular mountain temple, a believable flying carpet, a necro-erotic statue, and one of the Miklos Rosza's best scores, and you have the Arabian Nights made real. No one should miss Sabu's naturalistic performance as Abu, the little thief. Note Conrad Veidt's makeup, that included gold dust to highlight his features. A film for the ages, and for all ages (and where, oh where, is the DVD? Please to strike it from the surviving 35mm original in the British Film Archive....)
Rating:
Summary: A Dream
Review: Superb remake of Douglas Fairbanks silent classic; with Sabu as the charming little thief, helping a blinded caliph (John Justin), victim of evil Jaffar (Conrad Veidt), to recover her position and her sweetheart (June Duprez), setting for just amazing adventures. Filled with wild ideas (the menacing shadow of Jaffar, the blue rose, the horse-toy, the sculpture of many hands, the giant spider, the laughing Genius), and a very, very beautiful color photography (June Duprez is beautiful and John Justin's eyes sparkle with intensity), this film is a certainly unspeakable dazzle for me.
Rating:
Summary: Thief of Bagdad
Review: This is one of the best films that I saw in my childhood. Later on while years past I had the chance to watch it again with my wife and three children and they really enjoyed a lot. It is amazing how back in 1940 they did all the FX near to perfection in this movie in full colors which fortunately were restored and improved in the video release. And the story is a copntinously captivating one without leaks. I am sure that everyone, adult or child will be amused after watching this vertion of THIEF. I think there were made three even four more good enough vertions of the same title but this one is definetely the best. I even recommend its release on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: I love this movie
Review: This is one of the first movies I remember watching when I was little, and it remains one of the best. The images will stay with you for a long time. I hope everyone will give this movie a try!
Rating: 
Summary: Greatest golden age fantasy still well worth owning
Review: This masterpiece, often referred to as the greatest fantasy movie ever, still holds up well over 60 years later. The Thief of Bagad has a terrific story with enchanting magic, enticing romance and terrific suspense. The acting is absolutely superb with fine performances turned in by Sabu the little thief, Rex Ingram as the powerful and scary genie, and Conrad Veidt who as the evil Vizier Jaffar is one of the best villians ever. John Justin, the blinded Caliph and his beloved princess (June Deprez) provide an engaging and often tragic romance that lends terrific depth to this story. Best yet is the awesome imagination brought to life in this masterpiece epic. While some of the effects show their age (The spider, for instance), others, such as the flying mechanical horse and the magical carpet are still captivating. The immense attention to detail is evident in the palaces, the ships and the sultan's toy collection. Miklos Rosza's musical score along with this movie's wonderful cinematography recreates the legendary time of the Arabian Nights. For my one complaint, while this movie clearly rates 5 stars, I'm knocking my review down to 4 stars due to the lack of DVD extras. When compared to spectacular golden age DVDs like Robin Hood, one begins wish all were made this way. Children from 8-13 (as well as adults) will still find joy in this delightful picture.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest golden age fantasy still well worth owning
Review: This masterpiece, often referred to as the greatest fantasy movie ever, still holds up well over 60 years later. The Thief of Bagad has a terrific story with enchanting magic, enticing romance and terrific suspense. The acting is absolutely superb with fine performances turned in by Sabu the little thief, Rex Ingram as the powerful and scary genie, and Conrad Veidt who as the evil Vizier Jaffar is one of the best villians ever. John Justin, the blinded Caliph and his beloved princess (June Deprez) provide an engaging and often tragic romance that lends terrific depth to this story. Best yet is the awesome imagination brought to life in this masterpiece epic. While some of the effects show their age (The spider, for instance), others, such as the flying mechanical horse and the magical carpet are still captivating. The immense attention to detail is evident in the palaces, the ships and the sultan's toy collection. Miklos Rosza's musical score along with this movie's wonderful cinematography recreates the legendary time of the Arabian Nights. For my one complaint, while this movie clearly rates 5 stars, I'm knocking my review down to 4 stars due to the lack of DVD extras. When compared to spectacular golden age DVDs like Robin Hood, one begins wish all were made this way. Children from 8-13 (as well as adults) will still find joy in this delightful picture.
Rating: 
Summary: Delightful Fantasy
Review: This movie will especially appeal to children and those that like classic fantasy movies like "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad". The effects may not be up to present day standards with the flying Genie looking like a Mr. T doll with a ponytail, but overall it is still very entertaining for the whole family. It has many things to make it fun with a Prince, a young delightful thief "Sabu", a princess, an evil magician, Genie, giant spider, octopus, cannibals, and a flying carpet and horse. I bought this on DVD after not seeing it for several years and I am glad I got it. They did an excellent job of transferring it and the color and sound are great.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Good
Review: This was a good movie. It's just slightly longer then the average movie. The story was entertaining, and though the special effects were poor in some parts, it was made in 1940, so you can't expect too much. I was actually surprised that this movie was made so long ago! I figured it was made between the 60s and 80s. The story was romantic and exciting, with a small touch of comedy. The characters were bright and entertaining. But Abu wasn't quite the main focus of the story, as the title and cover suggest.
The movie is basically about a king who was tricked into giving up his throne. He is thrown into prison, but escapes with Abu, a thief with a good brain and optomistic attitude. They travel to a city a good ways away, where the king catches a glimpse of the sultan's daughter and falls in love. They meet, and find that the feeling is mutual. The only thing that stands in their way is a cruel, selfish magician named Jafar, who also wants the princess, and to be a ruler. He will do anything to get what he wants...whether it be using his magic to trick, confuse, or kill.
Overall, this movie was not one of my favorites, but was still worth watching. The story was entetaining and a little inspiring. It made me feel almost every emotion. I recommend it to older children, and adults looking for good movies from years ago. I don't recommend it to people who like high quality and brand new, and I think smaller children might find it distrubing, scary, and/or boring. But I thought it was good. It was actually almost like a real-people sequel to the Disney movie Aladdin, with Jafar, Abu, and the sultan who loves gadgets, even though I know this movie came first.
Rating:
Summary: a rather nice print of a beautiful movie
Review: Unlike an earlier reviewer of this DVD release of
the fantasy masterpiece, I find the transfer to
be totally adequate. The rendition of colors is
great; as it is said elsewhere, few other movies
benefit from a good restoration as much as this one
and, considering that this film is more than
sixty years old, the dvd has it done rather nicely.
It is true that no extras are included but then at
a budget price, I am not complaining Fans should
not hesitate.
Rating:
Summary: "I want to be a bandit, can't you understand it?"
Review: What's that old saying? Too many cooks spoil the broth? In figurative terms it means if there are too many people working on a project, the result will be inferior...given the fact The Thief of Bagdad (1940) sports six directors, three credited, three uncredited, you'd think the film would be a mess, but it's actually the very opposite. The credited directors include Ludwig Berger (The Vagabond King), Michael Powell (Black Narcissus), and Tim Whelan (The Mad Doctor), while on the uncredited side there's three individuals, all whom share producing credits for the film in Alexander Korda (Storm Over the Nile), his brother Zoltan Korda (Jungle Book), and William Cameron Menzies (The Whip Hand). Starring in the film is Conrad Veidt (Casablanca), Sabu (Elephant Boy, Jungle Book), and John Justin (King of the Khyber Rifles). Also appearing is June Duprez (Little Tokyo, U.S.A.) and Rex Ingram (God's Little Acre) as the Genie, or Djinn,
As the film begins, we're introduced to a blind beggar named Ahmad (Justin), and his very intelligent dog, both of whom are more than they appear. Ahmad soon relates a tale, and we learn of a man who was once king, and how he became friends with a clever young thief from the streets named Abu, played by Sabu (see what they did? The just removed the `S' from Sabu to get Abu...pretty smart, huh?). We also learn of the king's downfall at the hands of Jaffar (Veidt), a greedy, dastardly fellow with a penchant for magics and trickery. Seems Jaffar, once Grand Vizer (that means a highly regarded executive type who councils the king in many different matters) to the king, covet too much, and through some ruse, he managed to usurp (hence his new moniker of `The Usurper') the throne, and now desires the lovely princess, played by Duprez, daughter to a Sultan (played by Miles Malleson, one of the writers) of the nearby kingdom of Basra, who, incidentally, is smitten with the once king, and he her (their first encounter occurs in the `forbidden garden'...take the meaning whichever way you like)...the pair (the once king and Abu) embark on a number of dangerous adventures to regain king's throne, free the princess from the Jaffar's clutches, and return things to the natural order. Seems like a simple enough task, right? Well, keep in mind Jaffar is not only a scoundrel, but a magical scoundrel, and he has no intention of losing what he has worked so little for...actually, his plans appeared pretty complex, almost to the point of being convoluted, so it was obvious he had been planning it for awhile.
The Thief of Bagdad (which won three academy awards, one for color cinematography, a second for color interior design, and a third for special effects) is one of those films that I wish I could have been their to see when it originally opened in the theaters, as I can't help but feel it must have been quite the awesome cinematic experience similar to the first time I saw Clash of the Titans (1981) in the theater (I was eleven at the time). In terms of fantasy films, very few can match the level of magic and whimsy of The Thief of Bagdad, although many have tried. The real key to the film's success, in my opinion, is that it is so well written, basically a fairytale come to life. Certainly the special effects helped propel this film, but without the core characterizations and well-crafted dialogue, the film wouldn't have been as popular. With regards to the acting, I thought all of the performers did very well, but given the strength of the material, it wouldn't have been too difficult for an experienced performer to come in and do as well, with a few exceptions, particularly in the characters of Abu, the genie (Ingram), and Jaffar. Sabu seemed a bit rough around the edges, but this was displaced by his infectious enthusiasm, which came through in nearly every scene he appeared. The genie, played by Harrison, is wonderful and comes through larger than life, exactly how you'd expect a genie to be (which makes me think Harrison's performance was what many other, later genie depictions were probably based on). Last, but not least, is the character of Jaffar, played perfectly by Veidt. This definitely was a case of finding the right actor for the part as Veidt creates what's probably one of the strongest characterizations of an on screen villain I seen in a long time. The only other one I can think of is Darth Vader, but the difference is in Vader's character, much of his menace comes through in the costume and effects, where with Jaffar, Veidt had to create his character from within, and does so almost too well (he even scared me a few times). As far as the special effects, some seem dated (keep in mind the film was made some 60+ years ago, and achieving effects on the level seen here was incredibly difficult) and obvious (the blue fringing of the Technicolor mattes often shows through), while others hold up quite well (the giant spider looked amazing and its' movements really made it appear to be alive). The sets, usually backed by lush and detailed matte paintings, are beautiful and befitting of the story, and the music, by Miklós Rózsa, is considered to be some of the finest ever made for a film. Generally I'm not big on characters within film breaking out in song, but it works here because it ties so well into the events on the screen.
The full screen (original format) looks really good, despite a few minor flaws, and the audio comes through very well. I was surprised at a lack of features (there's a good looking trailer) for this particular film, given its' significance in terms of being one of the best fantasy films ever released, but better to have it than not at all I suppose.
Cookieman108
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